In the Doctor's Office
by fuzzi fox
Summary: When Jack has trouble finding Flora, he discovers she has fallen through a collapsed floor in the mines. Rushing to her aid he brings her to Dr. Hard, and at the doctor's office she gets a surprise she never expected. One Shot


Jack is the name I've given the main character from the Harvest Moon games since that's the name they give him as far as I know (for when they refer to him and stuff in manuals and such). I chose the DS version of the game for this fan fiction because Flora is available to marry and she's my favorite HM girl. I'm cheating with the game timeline a bit, for the story sake because it's a little weird that they don't so much as hug until they get married and they get married by the end of the first year. SO to rectify that I'm pretending it's a little more true to life. Oh and I'm going with the not-so-modern setting I like the olden days country feel rather than super-modern. It helps the sake of the story.

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Jack wiped the sweat from his brow, Leaving a muddy smear. He smiled proudly at his finished work, his crops planted in the freshly tilled soil and the pouring rain would give them a wonderful fresh start. The chicken's had been brought inside the coop and given plenty of feed, and the livestock had also been brought inside their stalls filled with feed and hay to get the animals through the day. He checked his watch, glad to see it was only one o'clock. He walked to the stables, his horse snorted his excitement as Jack approached.

"Hey Cashew, exited to stretch your legs?" He pat her neck. The mare had an unusual disposition for the rain, enjoying getting wet. The saddle that hung on a hook on the wall was taken down, and adjusted on the mare's back so that it fit comfortably. Leading the horse outside he mounted, patting her neck again. "Let's go visit Flora." It was Tuesday, so Flora was usually by the Goddess Pond though on the days it rained she was partial to visiting the Inner Inn.

In the two years he had been living in Forget-Me-Not Valley, Jack and Flora had grown close and indulged in a close relationship. Jack smiled, remembering when he had first met her.

_It was mid-noon and Jack had finished with his morning chores. The farm was still young, and he had heard he could work at the excavation site for Professor Carter for some extra money to help him get the farm on its feet. He approached the mouth of the cave where the dig site was located, and was surprised to find a young woman working with the Professor._

_She was bent down, digging up a new artifact. Her clothes were covered in dust, her knees deep brown from dirt. Her forehead was smeared with dust as well, from wiping beads of sweat away with her dirt-covered gloves. She wore large glasses that enlarged her wide violet eyes, and a narrow nose completed her mousy appearance. Dirty blonde hair framed her face, the rest was pulled back into a crude braid that ran down half the length of her back. Despite this, Jack still thought she was absolutely beautiful._

_"Hello! Why you must be Jack!" He turned, extending a shy hand out to the broad archeologist. Carter was tall with broad shoulders. His skin was olive-toned and his hair was curly and ebony. Jack immediately assumed that Carter and the young woman were a couple, leaving him feeling disappointed. The doctor's loud greeting startled the woman who looked up with a gasp, a hand flying over her chest._

_"Oh! Hello there" She smiled, getting to her feet to greet him. "I'm Flora, the Professor's assistant. At this Jack smiled, hoping that it meant she was not a couple with Carter after all._

_"I'm Jack." He said finally, though it seemed most people in the Valley already knew his name because of his father._

_"Are you here to help with the dig?" Carter interrupted. Jack just nodded in response. "Flora, show him the ropes for me"_

As it turned out Flora was not involved with Carter, her relationship with him was strictly professional. As he had frequented the dig site over the weeks, he quickly found that he was not visiting the dig just for the extra money. After just two months in the Valley he and Flora shared their first kiss.

_After his daily chores, Jack traveled up to the dig site as had become part of his daily routine. Inside though, he found Flora and Carter both in an excited frenzy._

_"A Lithograph! This is great!" Carter boomed, his bellowing laugh echoing against the walls of the dig site. "Hmm… it seems to show a location near the empty lot rented out by the Circus company." It was then that Jack's presence was noticed. "Jack my boy! Perfect timing! Can you go with Flora to investigate this lithograph? I would go, but I need to keep working at this artifact I've found, they take damage the longer they're exposed to air so now that its partially dug-up I have to finish the job." Happy to accept the job Jack nodded, getting a broad smile from Flora._

_"Come on Jack, I'll lead the way." The walk to the area designated by the lithograph was pleasant. It was March and seasonably warm. "I'm happy to see you today…" She felt awkward saying it, but she had found herself becoming more than just fond of the dedicated farmer. Jack smiled, sliding his hand into hers as they walked which brought out an even deeper blush to her cheeks._

_"I'm happy to see you too."_

_"Is the farm well?"_

_"Better than expected! Most of the soil is fertile, and I now have two chicken coops. " The pair continued to talk, about the farm and the dig site until they arrived at their destination. "Wow, you get a nice view of the beach from here." Jack commented, making Flora blush again._

_"I spend so much time at the dig I forget to take time to enjoy how nice the valley is sometimes." She turned and looked up at Jack. "But since you arrived, I've been traveling around the valley more." She bit her lip, unable to suppress the sudden urge she got. She stood on her toes, kissing him, barely more than a peck. She blushed instantly, looking down, "I-I'm sorry I-" Jake cut her off as he returned her kiss, bending down and pressing his lips to hers._

Jack had no idea why he felt so nostalgic that afternoon, but just smiled pleasantly as the memories left him in a bright mood. He kicked his horse into a gallop, stopping at the inner inn and tied Cashew's lead to a post to keep her from running off. Inside, he was surprised to find that Flora was not there. Nami was behind the counter,

"Nami, have you seen Flora today?"

"No." He was used to her short and blunt responses, so he thanked her and left settling on heading to the Goddess Pond, wondering if she was in her usual Tuesday spot even if it was raining. He arrived there however, disappointed to find she wasn't there either.

"She must be at the dig site today." He said to himself, and followed the familiar route the dig site. He stopped by the tent first, and found it empty and inside the dig site was empty as well, Carter wasn't even there. "Where in heaven's name is everyone?" He sighed, and resolved on going into the mine to see if he could find anything to help save up for another barn and a kitchen. He paused suddenly, sure that he was hearing a vague voice. He walked towards the mouth of the cave and it got quieter, and as he approached the first of the mines it got louder. "What…" He ambled off, walking in and was surprised to find a hole in the floor off the mine. Walking over to it he realized the voice he was hearing was coming from there.

"Hello?" The response was muffled, barely audible. Wasting no time he carefully lowered himself down the hole and realized that it went down further than just one floor. One by one he lowered himself though the levels of the mine until he had gone down three floors where he found Flora laying helpless on the ground. "Flora!"

"Jack!" He was by her side in an instant, it was all she could do to manage to sit up. "Oh thank the Goddess you came! I fell…"

"Are you alright?" The question blurted from his lips before he had time to think about it, and when he did he kicked himself for the stupidity of the question, it was rather obvious she was injured, the point punctuated when she groaned and shook her head.

"My leg and my arm…" She whimpered.

"Is your back okay?" He asked, worried about how long the fall was. The mine's had a low ceiling but falling four floors even in the mine was a bad fall.

"I think so… how are we going to get out?" She asked, biting her lip.

"I'll get you out. But first…" He paused, gently touching her leg, barely brushing his fingertips against the black-blue skin. "Can you move it at all?" She shook her head, bending her knee slightly before crying out. "Don't do it if it hurts!" Jack gasped, frowning. He hated seeing her in pain. "Oh… Flora…" He looked at her tearstained cheeks, distinct lines ran down her face from where her tears had washed the dust from her face. He reached over gently, catching a tear with his fingertips and brushed her face gingerly with the back of his fingers. "What happened?" He asked finally.

"I came into the dig for a moment to see if the Professor was here. I wasn't going to stay because it was Tuesday. I got curious about the mine, I had never gone in them. The Professor warned me that it was dangerous… I went in and the floor collapsed. I'm such a fool… I should have listened to him."

"No, you were just curious." Jack insisted.

"Curiosity killed the cat. Could have killed me too." She replied.

"No no. Come on now, we have to get you to Doctor Hardy." Flora bit her lip, not looking forward to having to move.

"Thank you… if you hadn't found me… who knows how long I would have been stuck down here." Trying to lighten the tense mood that had settled over them he smiled,

"My day wouldn't feel complete until I saw you." He paused to kiss her, glad to feel that she returned it. He broke the kiss, sitting back on his knees. "Lets get you out of this mine. But first, let me make sure that there aren't any of these tricky holes on this floor." He took the small axe that was in his backpack, most of his tools were back home in his tool box. He thumped the ground, making slow progress over to the stairs that were in the corner of the mine and turned to Flora again, "Looks like we're good." He walked over to her again. "You ready?" He asked. Furrowing her brows, she looked up at him with a worried expression,

"I think so…" Jack nodded, sliding an arm carefully under her legs, and another slid behind her shoulders. He was sure to get onto the side of her uninjured arm, so she could slide it around his neck for better support.

"On the count of three…,' Both were tense. Flora knew how much the slightest movement caused intense pain and being lifted was going to be a nightmare. This fact had not escaped Jack either. He was disturbed at the thought of having to cause Flora pain. "One…" Flora balled her hand into a fist, clutching part of Jack's shirt. "Two," She closed her eyes tight, tears still streaming down her face. "Three," Jack moved the slightest bit, and the pain shot through her, bringing a scream with it that made him immediately put her back down. "You okay?!"

"I'm sorry!" She whimpered, crying again. She didn't think she was able to sob anymore, she had been sobbing since she had fallen down the hole, up until Jack had found her. She groaned, her breathing in sharp gasps. "I can't…" She shook her head, her good arm letting go of him and clutching the broken one and her good leg kicked out slowly, her heel digging into the soil as she tried to ignore the searing pain.

"I'm going to need help…" Jack stated.

"Don't leave…" Flora pleaded.

"I'll be back fast, I promise!"

"Jack…"

He leaned foreward, gently cupping her cheek with his hand and kissed her tenderly. "I promise…" He repeated.

"I trust you…" She was reluctant to see him go, going limp on the ground once he was out of sight as her body wracked with uncontrollable sobs.

Jack mounted Cashew as fast as he could, spurring the horse toward Doctor Hardy's as fast as he could manage. He leapt off the mare before she had come to a complete stop, not bothering to tether her as he burst into the small office, obviously startling the eclectic man.

"Flora's hurt! I need help.." He gasped, "She fell through a hole in the mine. I can't carry her because it hurts her too much. You have a stretcher right?" Hardy shook his head,

"Slow down Jack! Now slowly, tell me what happened."

"Flora wasn't in her usual spot so I went to see if she was at the dig site today. Turns out she went into the mine. The floor collapsed beneath her, and she fell four floors which is about twenty feet. Her arm and leg look broken, pretty bad too. She can hardly move, I can't carry her I need a stretcher."

"I have a stretcher, but I'm not strong enough to help carry her back. Carter should be able to help." His voice conveyed what his stoic face wouldn't, that he was worried for the young woman. Jack nodded,

"Where is he today?"

"He's not at the dig?"

"No, that's why Flora has been down in that hole for so long! I promised her I'd be fast…" He trailed off.

"See if Rock is at the Inn. He should be around this time."

"I'll be back with Rock, get the stretcher."

"Calm down Jack, you're no use to her in a panic. Just a few broken bones is nothing bad I'll be able to help her if you can just get her here." Bidding the doctor thanks, he ran to the Inn which was only a few yards away and burst inside, dripping wet.

"Rock!" The relief he felt at finding the young man there was beyond description.

"Hey! You're not looking so good today, take a breather!" He laughed.

"Flora's hurt, I need someone's help to get her out." Rock's face dropped,

"Is she alright?" Nami was intrigued by what she was overhearing.

"She fell down the mine, her leg and arm seem broken. Other than that she seems okay."

"Do you need more help?" Nami chimed in.

"More help would never hurt" Jack, nodding to her. Nami disappeared into the kitchen and came back,

"Ruby will watch the front desk." The trio made quick progress back to the doctor, where they got the stretcher which was a crude thing. It was little more than cloth between two long poles, the handles were just the ends of the poles taped for better grip. They ran, each worried about their friend and were too preoccupied with their thoughts to talk much.

"Flora!" Jack cried as he ran into the mine, followed closely by the others. They ran down the stairs, ducking with the low ceilings of the mine. Jack wondered for a moment why he hadn't taken the stairs the first time, but pushed the thought from his mind.

"Jack, Nami, Rock!" Flora forced a smile, fighting back a groan.

"We have to move you onto here." The three were by Flora's side, flourishing her with questions on what hurt, what could she move, and asking her to recap what had lead to her mishap. "You ready?" Jack asked, holding her good hand. She nodded, biting her lip. The three worked together,

"One, two, three!" They moved her in one swift motion, Flora chocking back the cry that rose in her throat. When they set her down she breathed heavily, letting out a sigh of relief. "You doing okay?" Nami asked, surprising Rock and Jack with her extreme change in demeanor. Flora nodded, smiling.

"I owe you all big time." She smiled. The trio chuckled, before Jack and Rock took the handles of the stretcher, lifting Flora up, and making slow progress up the stairs, having difficulty coordinating together and Nami's shouting did little to help.

"No! Rock! You're moving too fast you're practically dragging them, Jack hold it higher! She's going to slide right out of the stretcher, stop tilting the stretcher!"

"Not… helping." Rock commented. The fighting only made Flora more tense, the constant shifting as the pair attempted to compensate for the problems Nami was pointing out only aggravated her injuries. It felt like it took hours before they reached Hardy's place, though in truth it took under twenty minutes. The bustle into the small office was short, it took only moments to get Flora off of the stretcher, and onto the observation table Hardy had fashioned into a bed for her.

"Thank you…" Flora smiled. The others showered her with wishes for a speedy recovery before Rock and Nami left. Jack stubbornly stayed, despite Hardy telling him he could leave and Flora assuring him she was alright. Hardy shook his head and began to evaluate her.

"Jack you will have to leave. I have to check for trauma to her chest and abdomen. Jake didn't resist now, blushing and just nodding,

"Oh! Yes then, just umm… call me when I can come back in." He backed out awkwardly, and paced outside the door like a nervous father waiting for a wife to give birth, and this fact would be pointed out to him later by Nami who saw him through the inn window and was not one to pass up an opportunity to tease him. Jack was beginning to wonder why it was taking to long when Hardy opened the door, telling him it was okay to come in, because Flora wanted him there when he had to set her bones into place.

"Is everything else okay?"

"Some minor bruising and a few scrapes and cuts but nothing serious. Jus her arm and leg to worry about," he turned to Flora now, "I'm afraid we don't have strong pain care." She bit her lip, looking back and forth between Hardy and Jack. "What I gave you should help though."

"It is making it feel a little better… how bad will it hurt when you set the bones?"

"Your arm is badly broken, that one is going to be difficult I'm afraid. Your leg doesn't need much setting." Flora nodded, a shiver coursing through her. She reached her good hand out, wanting to grasp Jake's hand. She was scared, that much was obvious. But even more concerning to Jack was the fact she was in pain, and it was going to get a lot worse when Hardy put her bones back into place.

"Don't worry, it'll be done soon." He assured her, and looked at Hardy.

"Flora ready?" She just nodded, a whimper escaping her lips as he took her arm. The whimper quickly flowed into a piercing scream as she was startled with the explosion of pain and she gritted her teeth, swallowing hard to keep the desire to scream at bay.

"Doing good… just squeeze my hand," Jack soothed, caressing her cheek with his free hand as she gripped his hand so hard he thought she would break his fingers. "Doing good sweetheart." He didn't use a term of endearment with her around others often, and Flora would have blushed were she not in the worst pain she had ever known. He kissed her forehead, swallowing his awkwardness of showing affection towards her in front of other people. It took Hardy only several movements to get the bone in place, and upon palpation the bones felt like they were as aligned as he could get them. All the while Jack did all he could to comfort her, squeezing her hand and caressing her cheek, talking to her to distract her in a vain attempt to make her feel more comfortable. The process took nearly a full minute, which was nearly unbearable to the young archeologist.

"You did great Flora! Now I just have to cast it up." He smiled, but she did not return the expression. Her face was still twisted with pain, her hand all but crushing Jack's.

"Can't you give her something more for the pain?"

"I don't wait to give too much… but a little more shouldn't hurt.." Hardy paused, going to the cabinet to fetch the aspirin and the materials he needed to cast the girl's arm.

"Jack I don't want him to set my leg… I don't think I can do that again…"

"Yes you can. You beat the crap out of me when I accidentally scared you in the dark in at the dig site." He chuckled, "You're a strong girl you can handle broken bones." She flinched as her arm was grabbed, Hardy beginning to cast her arm with the usual white plaster.

"Keep it like this for four weeks." When he started working on her leg, the scene was a mirror to when he had set her arm, her obvious agony was mental torture for Jack. Luckily the break was not as severe and took less time to set, but by the end of it Flora was only semi-conscious, the entire ordeal finally taking its toll. Jack frowned, leaning down and kissed her forehead, caressing her cheek.

"Stuck in an arm and leg cast for over a month. I can't operate crutches like this, how am I going to work at the site?" Flora inquired, suddenly concerned.

"I'll take care of you. Don't worry I'll put the mining on hold for a while and help Carter so your research doesn't fall behind."

"Jack your farm-"

"I have time, I spent hours helping you and Carter at the dig before he opened up the mine. I can do it again." He could see the obvious gratitude in her eyes, and smiled when he saw one upon her lips, and placed a quick kiss upon them. "I'll take care of you until you're better… and much longer," Jack paused now. He had been keeping a blue feather in his knapsack for near a month, too nervous to ask. He knew it was an awkward time, but he had a voice in his head telling him _now._ He reached into his knapsack, pulling out a careful bundle of cloth as Flora watched, fixated and her expression melted into one of pure shock as she saw what it was. "Flora… will you marry me?" He asked finally, holding out the feather to her.

"Jack…" She reached with her good hand, tenderly grasping the fragile feather. "Of course!" She tried to sit up, and Jack immediately reached for her, pulling her into his arms as best he could without causing her pain. "I love you Jack,"

"I love you Flora. And now you have no choice but to let me dote on you hand-and-foot."

"I had been dreaming about farming life lately."


End file.
